On September 2, 1969, America’s first automatic teller
machine (ATM) makes its public debut, dispensing
cash to customers at Chemical Bank in Rockville
Centre, New York. ATMs went on to revolutionize the
banking industry, eliminating the need to visit a bank
to conduct basic financial transactions.  

By the 1980s, these money machines had become
widely popular and handled many of the functions
previously performed by human tellers, such as
check deposits and  money transfers between
accounts. 

Today, ATMs are as indispensable to most people
as cell phones and e-mail.

Donald C. Wetzel (93) is an American businessman known
for holding the USA patent to the automatic teller machine.

America’s first automatic teller machine (ATM) made
made its public debut, dispensing cash at Chemical
Bank in Rockville Centre, New York. ATMs went on
to revolutionize the banking industry.

Donald Wetzel (center) demonstrates America’s first ATM in 1969 at
the former Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, LI.